The canals and river mouths that meet the sea in Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam have recently become bustling fishing grounds, where locals cast nets and set traps to catch fish and shrimp in hopes of increasing their income for the Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) celebrations.

One of these fishing grounds is the Kien River estuary, along with the Rach Gia City branch canal that flows into the Cai Be-Cai Lon River in Chau Thanh District.

Hoang Thi Yen, a resident of Chau Thanh, shared that her family does not own rice fields and makes a living by fishing in the rivers and at sea. 

Since the end of the flood season in November 2024, she and her husband, Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, have been taking their boat to anchor at the junctions where the branches of canals and rivers meet the sea in search of fish.

“I only come home once every ten days or two weeks,” Yen said. 

“This year, the fish and shrimp aren’t as plentiful as last year. 

“After a night of casting nets and setting traps, we catch at most 5-10kg of mullet, shrimp, and eeltail catfish."

The catch is small, so the money earned is not much, but she is still trying to make enough to buy cakes, sweets, and clothes for her children to celebrate Tet, the woman said, as Vietnam's biggest festival is due in about a week.

“I always head out to sea to spread the nets and catch fish at 2:00 am,” added Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, who was sitting next to Yen. 

“The waves are strong, there are few fish, and the boat is small, so we can’t venture far out to sea. 

“Sometimes, we work all night without catching anything. 

“That’s life, now we just try our best and earn whatever we can.”

Despite the scarcity of fish and shrimp, Yen and Cuong continue to keep the selling prices stable, ranging from VND30,000 (US$1.19) to VND100,000 ($3.95) per kg, depending on the type. 

While the prices are not high, the locals support buying whatever is available.

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